Archive for July, 2008

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Lawyer: Britney wants no contact with Sam Lutfi

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

An attorney for Britney Spears said Wednesday that he will not seek an extension for a restraining order against Osama “Sam” Lutfi, but that doesn’t mean the pop star wants her former sidekick back in her life.

“Britney has made clear to everyone that she does not want to be further harassed or contacted in any way by Osama ‘Sam’ Lutfi, now or at anytime in the future,” Spears’ attorney Samuel D. Ingham III said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Lutfi, for the time being, seems willing to go along with those wishes.

He called the AP late Wednesday and released the following statement: “Mr. Lutfi and Mr. Spears have mutually agreed in private that no hearing or order is necessary at this time.”

He declined further comment.

Attorneys for Spears and her father, James, are expected to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom Thursday morning to give an update on the conservatorship. A hearing on a temporary restraining order barring Lutfi from having contact with the pop singer was also scheduled for Thursday. The order issued earlier this year required Lutfi to stay 250 yards away from Spears or her homes.

Lutfi represented one of the strangest twists in Spears’ downward spiral earlier this year. The singer’s mother accused Lutfi — who described himself as a friend and sometime manager — in court papers of keeping Spears a hostage in her own home, drugging her and taking over her finances.

He was a fixture in Spears’ life during a period when the star exhibited erratic behavior, including being photographed without underwear, and occasionally looking dazed in public and had to twice be hospitalized.

Spears’ father has control over his 26-year-old daughter’s personal life and finances.

That power negates the need for a restraining order against Lutfi since James Spears’ role as conservator allows him to decide who sees his daughter, according to Ingham’s statement.

He serves as a court-appointed counsel representing Spears’ interest in the ongoing conservatorship case.

“During the temporary conservatorship, the conservators have the power to insure that Lutfi will not harm Britney anymore,” Ingham wrote.

Thursday’s hearing had originally been scheduled to decide whether the conservatorship should be made permanent, but Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz decided weeks ago that she would instead consider other issues.

It is unclear how long Spears’ affairs will remain under her father’s control, but Ingham wrote that he does not expect her feelings about Lutfi to change.

“If Mr. Lutfi makes any future attempt to contact Britney after the temporary conservatorship has concluded, Britney has made clear she will take all appropriate legal action,” Ingham wrote.

Posted in Entertainment And Music | Comments Off

Does natural selection not apply to human society since the wealthiest and educated have the fewest kids?

Thursday, July 31st, 2008


Please limit your responses to relevant discussions about evolutionary biology. I would give a low rating to anyone advocating eugenics, suggesting that we stop helping the poor, or trying to convince people that forced sterilization is a good idea.

 

Absolutely it does apply but not in the way we think it logically should. From an evolutionary standpoint those people having more children are actually evolutionarily ahead of the curve. They may have a higher death rate but they have a higher birth rate that more than compensates. From a science standpoint it is those who successfully continue their genetic strands down through the generations that are “more fit”. Think about the haves and the have-nots, if there are more have-nots they will eventually take over the haves. It is just a matter of time. And while we may not like the fact that the “fit” portion of the population is less educated, we do our best to educate everyone. In the same way there were race lines that were drawn, there are class lines that are drawn, but those lines get crossed all the time in the melting pot. Eventually it should level out. (At least in theory.)

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Natural selection still applies, but it’s harder to see, because we have cultural differences that disguise it. More people who may have been taken out of the gene pool in childhood (I’m thinking of genetic diseases or abnormalities that may show up in childhood - heart defects are one example) are able to receive treatment and are thus able to make it to reproducing ages and can pass along their genes to the next generation. In societies where that healthcare is not available, those genes are not passed on and would eventually be taken out of that society. This would be natural selection at work.

I’m not sure why you think that wealthy and educated people having fewer kids is the result of some sort of natural selection. 1) How did you come to this conclusion and where did you find it? 2) This is also cultural, not natural. Don’t you think perhaps that the wealthy and educated know better the consequences of unprotected sex, and are also able to purchase birth control means? Or that in other (poorer) cultures, having many children is important so that they may be able to support larger extended families or elderly parents in the future? I don’t see how your wealthy/educated comments are relevant.

Posted in Social Science | Comments Off

Any ideas for cooking soy chorizo?

Thursday, July 31st, 2008


Haven’t used it before. Does it cook like regular sausage? Anything I should know before I cook it?

 

It crumbles easily and it doesn’t stick like a real sausage. I put it in my jambalaya rice, stir fry for taco fillings, crumbles it on homemade pizza, pasta sauce and stir fry with veggies. But it taste so good especially on pizza. Just do trial and error you may come up with something better than mine!

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simmer it in a pan with an ample amount of water. then you let the water boils out after that you put little cooking oil and you wait until it turns into golden brown.

Posted in Food and Drinks | Comments Off

Do I suffer from insomnia?

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

I am 16 years old. Azn kid, 128 lbs, 5′8′. I have recently been getting bad sleep over these last 6 months. Before I would get my full 8+ hours of sleep. Now I only get like 7 hours but even when I do, I wake up like at 6 or 7 then can’t go back to sleep for like 20 minutes. It has always been like this even when I go to bed extremely tired. Sometimes I wake up at different times like at 3 or 4 than can’t go back to sleep for like 5+ minutes. I play football and that’s basically all I’m doing for the summer. I go to sleep like at 12ish or 1ish but even when I was in school I went to sleep at 11ish and I still had the same problem. Please help!

Doesn’t really sound like a full blown case of insomnia. Exercising too close to the time you go to bed can cause you to not be able to sleep. You did mention that you play football. Are your practices in the evening? People vary in their need for, and satisfaction with, sleep. Insomnia isn’t only about the number of hours a person sleeps each night; rather, it is also about a person’s perception that his or her sleep is inadequate. A feeling of inadequate sleep may be caused by:

• Difficulty falling asleep
• Difficulty staying asleep

Insomnia is described by how long it lasts.

• Transient Insomnia: lasting for a short time
• Intermittent Insomnia: occurring on and off
• Chronic Insomnia: occurring on most nights and lasting for a month or more.

Do you eat healthy? Food can play a factor in depriving you of sleep. Behavioral treatments include a well-balanced diet rich in complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. You should avoid evening stimulations such as television, exercise (football practices) or going to bed right after coming home. A warm bath to promote circulation can help, but note that it should be taken at least one hour before bed to give your body time to cool down and relax. Breathing techniques, yoga and a consistent bedtime routine are also effective. I hope I’ve shedded a little light on your situation. Sweet dreams!

http://www.sleepingdisorderfacts.com/

………………

That’s not insomnia…Insomnia is when you find it hard to go to sleep and you’re awake for hours just lying there. With insomnia you may not be able to sleep for 2-3 nights at a time…Insomniacs are on medication for their situation because they can’t sleep at all…Your problem is normal…

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Definitely not insomnia.
Try not being able to fall asleep for like 2-4 hours. Then having to get up to take care of your kids at 6am after only having 4 hours sleep

Posted in Health | Comments Off

Does anyone feel the same way…?

Thursday, July 31st, 2008


about global warming…?

 Ok so in the 70’s there was a scare over this..
http://www.climate4you.com/images/1974%2…
and now they say the world is melting…
studies show that the world temp. goes up and down continuesly throught the eras. Even the guy who created the weather channel say this is true, and that the emissions created by cars and factories don’t make as much an impact as they are said to be making.
I think it’s messed up that people are spending all this money and investing in all this research for something that just might be a cycle.

And I think Al Gore is totally fake, and it really makes me mad that some people are practically praising him as the new messiah.

I am not 100% sure, nor do I think anyone can be, that global warming is fake or real.

 

Holy crap! I feel the exact same way!
I was reading an August 2007 - take a look at the cover
http://inel.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/…
The cover caught my eye and I was glued and read about Global warming and how it is just a part of Earth and like how you said - “Studies show how the world Temp. goes up and down throughout the Eras”
and.. HAHAAH!!! AL GORE is just doing that crap, like his movie he made - the unforgettable truth - or whatever it was -
he’s just doing that for money and fame. I was FORCED to watch that in my MATH class. Math? Yeah! It was all crap!
If we were introduced to Global Warming in the 70’s like that picture you showed, they people would have seriously done something! Like cars with less gas mileage or whatever.
–But people have more things to worry about than the Big O zone layer and the hole inside of it.

But I have to say that the air is becoming more dirty by factories and cars, but Global Warming is a way of Earth’s
life. I’m glad someone posted this Question! Kudos man! kudos!

——–

Global warming is real. This event occurs after every Ice Age. The last one ended about 20000 years ago. It is a natural event. There is no arguing about that among scientist. Much of the lay world just does not seem to understand. Everyone seems to be caught up in the part about the effects humans are having.

Now the politicians are involved. Big business is involved. Everyone wants to get in on making money out of the new Green Revolution.

The fact is we still do not fully understand the impact human activities, pollution and habitat destruction, are having on the natural event of global warming. That’s what all the misunderstanding is about.

Findings of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change Science
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/sci…

Posted in Environment, Science And Mathematics | Comments Off

ADH, and Decreased aldosterone. Help check my answers.?

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008


Match Column A with Colum B. My answers are posted, let me know if I am right or wrong.

Colume A:
1. causes production of dilute urine
My Answer: Increased ADH

2. results in increased sodium loss
My Answer: decreased aldosterone

3. causes the body to retain more potass.
My Answer: increased ADH

4. will cause water retention due to sodium movement
My Answer: decreased ADH

5. causes water reabsorption due to increased membrane permeability
My Answer: Increased ADH

6. Increases sodium reabsorbtion
My Answer: Increased aldosterone.

keep in mind all answers can have one or more answers. I just need to know if mine are right?

 

ADH stimulates water retention. Aldosterone stimulates sodium retention and potassium loss. Water will tend to follow the sodium. You really need to focus on these key facts.

1) should be decreased ADH. ADH is anti-diuretic hormone, so it has the opposite effect to a diuretic. It causes you to retain water, so increased ADH would give a more concentrated urine, decreased ADH gives dilute urine.

3) should be decreased aldosterone. Aldosterone promotes sodium reabsorption and potassium loss. So decreased aldosterone would give you low sodium and high potassium.

4) should be increased aldosterone. Increased aldosterone causes more retention of sodium. Water tends to follow where sodium goes.

5) correct - ADH stimulates water-permeable pores to open up in the renal collecting ducts, so more water gets reabsorbed from the filtrate.

Posted in Science And Mathematics | Comments Off

“Organic” simply means something contains the element carbon. How then has it been corrupted by farmers?

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008


The term “organic” has been corrupted to mean a specific process of farming. How did this corruption occur?

 

I don’t think “corrupted” is quiet the right word. Had a new meaning added to the word….that I’ll buy.

Back in the olden days “cool” use to mean something that was cool in temperature, like the weather outside. Now it means something that is neat-o, awsome, terrific.

Organic just has a new meaning tacked on.

Also, it wasn’t the FARMERS who did this. It was the middle men. The people who actually marketed the foods the farmers produced.

The middle men were grossly miss-using the word. For a while, everything was getting the lable “organic” slapped on it. Then the Government stepped in, and guidlines were developed for what “organic” actually ment.

Any farmer who has $10,000 a year or under in sales is freely allowed to use the word. Any farmer who has over $10,000 a year in sales must now be certified by the Government in order to be able to put that lable on the foods they produce.

Companies that make things like apple cider must also meet guidlines, and be inspected by the Government in order to use that lable on their product.

So the “corruption” occured when all the middle men started to slap the lable “organic” on just about every food product. Then the Government stepped in, and made guidlines. Now the “corruption” comes in the form of the giant agra business companies, like Monsanto, who get the guidlines on “organic” changed to fit their growing practices.

If you want truely “organic” food, buy it from the small farmer, who can’t afford the Government fees to be labled organic. Just ask small farmers how they grow their foods, and if they use chemicals on it.

I’m a permaculture farmer. I’m very nearly organic, but I’ll never pay the Government to be allowed to use a word I can find in the dictionary. I’ll also never be fully organic. I’d rather buy stuff like grain to feed my chickens LOCALLY (grown within 25-50 miles of my farm) than buy an “organic” grain for my chickens that was trasported hundreds, even thousands of miles to get to my farm. Besides my chickens free range, and get 95% of their food needs all by themselves. Yet if I feed them just 5% of their diet, and it is not certified “organic” I’m not an “organic” farm.

I firmly believe in doing things as naturally as possible. I also firmly believe in dealing with reality, and can easily figure out that it does not make sence to transport “organic” feeds for my livestock long distances.

——–

“Organic” has different meanings in different areas of science. There is no corruption, just another use of the word. Chemistry and agriculture are different areas, so they have different terminology.

Posted in Science And Mathematics | Comments Off

I really miss my mom?

Monday, July 28th, 2008


she died three years ago. i really miss her. I dont know what to do. Sometimes I feel killing myself. there is no fun in my life without her.

 

I am sorry to hear about your mom, but I am more worried about your sentence, “Sometimes I feel killing myself”. I don’t want to misquote you, so did you mean that you feel like killing yourself? If that is what you meant, please don’t and I strongly suggest grief counseling soon.

Just like you are grieving for your mother, others will grieve for you. Life is precious and you should live and rejoice in it daily.

A friend of mine lost her mother very unexpectedly and six weeks later her sister. But life goes on. It is okay to grieve, to cry and miss your mother every minute of the day, but you have to hold on to the life that your mother gave you.

I pray that God’s peace is with you and that He will heal your pain.

How old were you when mom passed away? Pay attention if you kill yourself what is your death going to solve. If mom was alive I’am sure mom would like for you to continue your education, be a honor student, be a good person and accomplish a career. That is what mom would want for you to do and to kill yourself would not be one of mom’s wishes. Remember one thing every good thing you do is in remembrance of mom and mom would not want you to be sad. My mommy died too and I have learned that life still goes on cause my mom and yours are in heaven watching over us and I’m sure both mommy’s are asking God to always make us strong. God Bless You and do the best in everything you do and make your mom proud

………………….

I understand what your going trough. Even if both my parents died when I was 5 and 12, I remember them and wish they would be here in certain moments in my life(birth of my children, present my GF, father and mothers day,…)Yes I miss them. But they’re gone now and I’m moving on. That’s called life experiences. Hard as they can be, experiences are there for you to learn and grow. Ask God to give you strength. Enjoy the smallest moments in your life good or bad and grow with them. Imagine how she would laugh at certain jokes, remember what she showed you and teach others. Remember the last ”I love you” she told you and embrace the sweet feeling it brought to your heart and share it with someone YOU love. The love your mother gave you is a shelter for others and not a prison for you to close in. Share your feeling with your close ones(sisters, brothers, friends,…). Learn to have fun through new safe experiences with friends. Bring your memories with you but don’t let them interfere with your FUN, on the contrary combine them.
Grow my dear, don’t GO…………..

……………

I am so very sorry about your mom. My mom passed away a few years ago, so i know your pain.

Your mom would be so sad that you are feeling this way. She would want you to be happy and live a wonderful and fulfilling life. Do things that you know would make her proud! Volunteer your time with the sick or elderly. Plant a tree or make a garden. Keep your mind and hands busy….it will make you feel better about yourself while at the same time doing something that will continue her legacy.

Its ok to be sad and to mourn…but…please…live the precious life that your beautiful mother gave you….don’t waist it!

……………..

i can relate to your situation
my mom died about 3 years ago too
it is hard but you have to think
she wants you to be happy
she doesnt want you to kill yourself
or anything like that because
she will be watching you from above
and when she sees you doing things
to hurt or damage yourself
that will make her oh so upset
try to go out more in the garden
plant a flower just for her
and take care of it
go out with friends
and have a good time
thats what your mom wants you to do

…………..

You are going to go through periods in your life where you get a sense of hopelessness.
Trust me, I have experienced this, as both of my parents are dead. When you feel this way grab a notebook…start writing things you remember about your mother that make you smile, read them over and over until you feel a little less pain. Think about this…if you had died instead of her, would you want her to take her life, and risk the sadness it would cause everyone else???
Please read the book called “Tear Soup”.
It was and still is a great help to me in dealing with grief like this.

…………..

I understand you love her and miss her she wouldnt want you to think of of these things to hurt yourself she loves you and she lives in your heart it would hurt her to know how sad you are you need to talk to a family member and tell them you need therapy to help you with your sadness and a hug to you reach out to your dad or whoever is taking care of you and get that hug and cry your eyes out for the pain you are feeling

……….

Aww, I Feel Your Pain! I Miss My Grandpa, He Was Really Fun, And The Way I Deal With It Is Thinking About The Fun Times We Had, And Sometimes Just Cry! Don’t Kill Yourself! Suicide Isn’t The Answer! I Thought It Was, But I Was Wrong. Luckily I Didn’t Secede In Killing Myself!

I Prayed To God And My Grandma That He Would Send Me Dimes (The Coin) And It Worked, Every Day I Find Dimes! One Even Went On The Front Of My House And It Had The Year He Died In On It!

Then, As One Of The Last Dime Things, 2 Were Placed On His Grave By ‘No One’! Now A Days, We Don’t Find Too Many Dimes, But Every Once And I While I Do!

……………

 

Posted in Family And Relationships | Comments Off

Do any of you do “Beach or river side” clean-ups????

Monday, July 28th, 2008


If you do,what state or body of water???

 

Me & few eco-friendly friendly clam diggers help clean up NY waters but some times the town n state refuse to dipose of the bagged trash,so we let loose on them comes election day,thats called pay back.Clean it up or watch your beautiful area’s turn into a landfill.

we did 3 years ago with all of the schools ,some citizens and even the army lend a hand .

we took kids from one town to go to the next to help there and so on hitting five towns
so everybody ended up helping another town
it was covered by the local media ,and we ended in the lagoons at the beach ,where all the trash ends up that is dumped on the edges of the river of the towns we cleaned

we collected over 40 tons of trash
had trucks and tractors helping us and quite a few launches
the operation took 6 months to plan

but now 3 years later
all is back to the same state

the Adult population does not care
and continues dumping trash by the river

this is Guerrero in Mexico,
we cleaned the riversides and lagoons and beach of the Atoyac river,
and also cleaned the main streets in the towns .

People came out and gave money ,food and drinks to the kids who were cleaning.

We still clean the river sides in front of the place where i live
periodically

Posted in Environment | Comments Off

Questions about packaging at the post office?

Saturday, July 26th, 2008


i hava a large item to send at the post office, can i just show up there and pay for packaging or do i have to bring my own box?

 

hi, you no need to bring the box, you can buy from the post office and it is available in varius sizes , go and have a look first and make sure the box size is enough for your item, before you bring the item to there. note that you have to pay for the box.

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The post office does not offer this service but there are places that do. For instance Pack n Mail or UPS stores.

The US Postal Service requires you to have your items properly packaged and ready to mail before they will accept them for shipping.

See the links below.

http://championspacknmail.com/services.h…

http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/locatio…

Posted in Business And Finance | Comments Off

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